College Football Week 19 Results – CFP semifinals up next
In the previous 4-team CFP, Ohio State
and Notre Dame would not be playing
The last of the 35 non-playoff bowl games has been played. The first two rounds of the College Football Playoff have been played. The only games remaining to be played are the two College Football Playoff semifinal games and the CFP national championship game.
The first of the two semifinal games will be played Thursday night, January 9, in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida – Notre Dame (13-1) vs. Penn State (13-2). The second of the two semifinal games will be played Friday night, January 10, in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas – Ohio State (12-2) vs. Texas (13-2). The winners of those two games will meet January 20 in Atlanta, Georgia, for the national championship.
This was the first season for the 12-team playoff. Prior to this season, we had a four-team College Football Playoff for 10 years, going back to 2014. The four teams in the playoff were the Top 4 teams in the selection committee’s final CFP rankings. If we still had a four-team playoff this season, Notre Dame and Ohio State would not be in the playoff.
When the selection committee’s final CFP rankings were released on December 8, the Top 4 teams were Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Penn State. Notre Dame was 5th and Ohio State was 6th. Under the old four-team format, Oregon would be playing Penn State in one semifinal game and Georgia would be playing Texas in the other. Oregon-Penn State would have been a rematch of the Big Ten championship game. Georgia-Texas not only would have been a rematch of the SEC title game, but also the third meeting between the two schools this season. Thank goodness we have a 12-team playoff.
Of the four teams in the semifinals, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame are peaking. Those three teams are playing their best football. They appear to be the strongest. Notre Dame is riding a 12-game winning streak. Ohio State was awesome in its two CFP wins over No. 7 Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon. Penn State was impressive in its two CFP wins over SMU and Boise State.
The fourth team in the semifinals – Texas – raises some doubts after the Longhorns’ shaky and tarnished win over Arizona State. Shaky because it took Texas two overtimes to subdue Arizona State. Tarnished because of the officials’ screw up, reversing the decision on the targeting call, which in reality was targeting. Unlike the other three teams, Texas doesn’t appear to be playing its best football. The Longhorns aren’t peaking.
However, Texas has the advantage of playing Ohio State in the Longhorns’ backyard – Dallas. With the game in the Cotton Bowl, it will feel like a home game for Texas. That could be a game changer.
So, we are down to two Big Ten teams, one SEC team and one Independent in the final four. The 12-team playoff began with four Big Ten teams, three SEC teams, two ACC teams, one each from the Big 12 and MWC and one Independent. The poor ACC was not only 0-2 in the playoff, but also, the ACC was 2-9 in the non-playoff bowl games – 2-11 overall.
The rise of younger coaches was evident in the CFP quarterfinals. Four of the eight coaches are in their 30s. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Oregon’s Dan Lanning are 38. Boise State’s Spencer Danielson is 36. Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham is the baby of the group at 34. The other coaches aren’t exactly old men. Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Georgia’s Kirby Smart are in their 40s. Day is 45 and Smart is 49. Texas’ Steve Sarkisian comes in at 50, while Penn State’s James Franklin is the elder statesman of the group at only 52.
The delayed College Football Playoff game between Notre Dame and Georgia got underway on Thursday afternoon. It was a defensive battle. Neither team had any offense. Notre Dame couldn’t pass, and Georgia couldn’t run. In the end, the Irish beat the Dawgs, 23-10. After the game, Georgia fans took to social media to trash offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Actually, Bobo has not been very popular with Georgia fans all season. But he is Kirby Smart’s best bud.
The first of the remaining four bowl games took place after the Notre Dame-Georgia playoff game. In Jacksonville, Ole Miss trounced Duke, 52-20, in the Gator Bowl. With Ole Miss up 45-7 midway through the fourth quarter, Magnolias’ coach Lane Kiffin still had starting quarterback Jaxson Dart in the game, throwing passes for touchdowns. Finally, with one minute remaining and Ole Miss up 52-14, Kiffin replaced Dart with backup quarterback Austin Simmons. However, he had Simmons throwing passes down the field, attempting to get another touchdown. Any coach with class would have removed Dart from the game sooner and would have had Simmons taking a knee.
Texas State and North Texas opened the action on Friday in the First Responder Bowl from Dallas. North Texas was strong in the first and fourth quarters. Texas State was stronger in the second and third quarters. The Bobcats beat the Mean Green, 30-28.
If you like mayonnaise, especially Duke’s Mayonnaise, then the next bowl was up your alley. If you watched it on TV, you know that ESPN spends as much time, if not more, eating mayonnaise on pizza, on moon pies, on sandwiches with bananas, et cetera, et cetera, than they do covering the game itself. In between all the mayonnaise promotions, Minnesota beat Virginia Tech, 24-10, in what else than the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. As the winning coach, P.J. Fleck got the five-gallon tub of mayonnaise dumped on him after the game.
The last of the non-playoff bowl games matched two teams who had not played a game in more than five weeks. Buffalo had not played in 39 days and Liberty had gone 36 days without playing football. Apparently, the long layoff hurt Liberty more than Buffalo. The Flames were scoreless until the final seven minutes of the final quarter. Buffalo beat Liberty, 26-7, in the Bahamas Bowl.
Rumors persist that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could be headed to the NFL as a head coach. Stay tuned!
Oregon began the year on the wrong webfoot. The day after Ohio State beat the Ducks, 41-21, in football, Oregon lost to Illinois, 109-77, in basketball.
Touchdown Tom
January 6, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Review of the Final Four Bowl Games
Ole Miss Darted past the Dookies – (in the Gator Bowl) – Ole Miss 52, Duke 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Duke 21). This game was a mismatch from the get-go. Duke was totally outmanned and outplayed. Ole Miss racked up 589 total yards. Duke was held to 44 rushing yards. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart passed for 404 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 43 yards. Ole Miss receiver Jordan Watkins had 7 catches for 180 yards. Duke never could get its act together. The game will go down as the most boring and biggest mismatch of the 2024 bowl season. Attendance in Jacksonville: 31,290
The Green weren’t Mean – (in the First Responder Bowl) – Texas State 30, North Texas 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas State 35, North Texas 28). After Texas State took an initial 3-0 lead, North Texas scored a touchdown and went up 7-3 at the 6:33 mark in the first quarter. The Mean Green held the lead until 3:27 to go in the first half. That’s when Texas State went back up 16-14. The Bobcats never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the game. North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker, making his first start for the Mean Green, passed for 393 yards and two touchdowns. Mean Green receiver Damon Ward had 5 catches for 133 yards. Texas State quarterback James McCloud passed for 307 yards and one touchdown. Running back Lincoln Pare rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Bobcats’ receiver Jaden Williams had 8 catches for 155 yards. The two teams combined for 999 total yards. It was a messy game. There were 18 penalties and five turnovers. Attendance in Dallas: 28,725.
P.J. Fleck got a mayonnaise bath – (in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl) – Minnesota 24, Virginia Tech 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 23, Virginia Tech 21). Virginia Tech scored first and went up 7-0 in the first quarter. Then Minnesota went wild, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Golden Gophers led 21-7. The Hokies added a field goal just before the half. That was basically all the scoring in the game. Thirty-one of the game’s 34 points were scored in the first half. The game was all but over at halftime. Minnesota did add a field goal early in the fourth quarter. Minnesota running back Darius Taylor rushed for 113 yards. Virginia Tech receiver Ayden Greene had 6 catches for 115 yards. The Gophers had 23 first downs to 9 for the Hokies. Tech was held to 74 yards rushing. Possession favored Minnesota: 35:19 to 24:36. Attendance in Charlotte: 31,027
Doused – (in the Bahamas Bowl) – Buffalo 26, Liberty 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Buffalo 27, Liberty 24). Buffalo scored in every quarter, building up a 26-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Buffalo running back Al-Jay Henderson rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown. Buffalo led in first downs 18 to 11 and held Liberty to 80 yards passing. The Flames had three turnovers. Possession favored Buffalo: 37:01 to 22:59. Attendance in Nassau: 4,610
Final Four Bowl Game Picks: 4 winners, 0 fumble (100 percent)
Total Bowl Game Picks: 24 winners, 11fumbles (68.6 percent)
Review of the College Football Playoff (Quarterfinals)
How ’bout them Gaels? – (in the Sugar Bowl) – Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Georgia 24). Especially the Gael defense. When was the last time Georgia was held to 62 yards rushing? The Irish defense held the Dawgs to 3 points in the first half. Notre Dame led 13-3 at the halftime break. The Irish increased the lead to 20-3 on a 98-yard kickoff return as the third quarter began. Georgia got a third quarter touchdown to make it a 20-10 game. But the Dawgs never scored again. The Dawgs had opportunities, but the Irish defense stymied the Georgia offense on several occasions. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, the game’s MVP, passed for 90 yards and one touchdown. Riley also rushed for 80 yards. Leonard’s 90 yards passing was the fewest passing yards by a winning team in a playoff game since the playoffs began in 2014. Attendance in New Orleans: 57,267
Quarterfinal CFP Picks: 3 winners, 1 fumble
Total CFP Picks: 6 winners, 2 fumbles
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart – 27-35-0 for 404 yards (4TDs), and North Texas’ Drew Mestemaker – 26-41-2-393 (2TDs).
Impressive Runner:
Texas State’s Lincoln Pare – 143 yards (2TDs).
Division III Championship
North Central 41, Mount Union 25 – Attendance in Houston: 1,938
FCS Championship (January 6)
North Dakota State (13-2) vs. Montana State (15-0)
Quotes of the Week
“Alabama fans must accept their new reality.” CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli.
“They will not be blaming Kirby Smart. They will be blaming Mike Bobo, who is the offensive coordinator. He came in and took over for Todd Monken, who went to the NFL. And quite frankly, nobody is very happy with him. He’s Kirby Smart’s best friend. They were roommates in college. And many believe that Kirby Smart has looked past reality and simply respected and honored a friend who used to work for Mark Richt at Georgia and then moved on and failed as a head coach,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum, on Georgia’s offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
“Make it a double,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck just before the five-gallon tub of mayonnaise was dumped on him.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(The next CFW – Week 20 Forecast – will be posted on Thursday morning, January 9.)
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